Compasses of various kinds are known in the state of the art and are used for orienteering, i.e. the practice of using a map and a compass to determine ones route of travel. Commonly, those compasses comprise a base member and a vial assembly pivotally coupled to the base member. The vial assembly comprises a vial and an azimuth ring as well as a magnetized indicator member pivotally journaled in the vial. Generally, the magnetized indicator member is a needle pointing to magnetic north. Moreover, an orienting marker is located in the vial. Commonly, the orienting marker is in form of an orienting arrow.
For taking a bearing for a destination visually, the compass is held level with a direction-of-travel arrow pointing towards the desired destination. As a next step, the azimuth ring is rotated until orienting arrow lines up with the needle, hence both pointing to magnetic north. The bearing can then be read from the degree markings of the azimuth ring lined up with the direction-to-travel arrow.
Similarly, when using the compass with a map or when using the compass to travel along a known bearing, the step of lining up the orienting arrow with the needle is mandatory. However, the reading of the bearing can be inaccurate due to parallax, i.e. the apparent displacement of the needle or the orienting arrow when viewed from different line of sights. Thus, even slight deviations between orienting arrow and the needle may mean that one gets lost or one needs to verify the bearing several times. This can easily happen under stressful or dangerous situations in the wilderness, as relatively large areas have to be brought into alignment.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a compass that allow for a more accurate bearing due to reduced parallax.